Let’s talk money!

So unless you’ve been living under a rock and/or you dropped your phone, tablet and laptop in the bath, you must have heard about the new £5 note containing Tallow (aka the new £5 note has animal products in it).

It’s been everywhere. In Newsfeeds, front pages of newspapers and a petition got over 100,000 signatures for something to be changed. That’s almost double what the fox hunting one got. In fact, even if you added all the signatures on the badger culling one, you’d still be short.

But there was only 23kg used over all the bank notes? Only 0.00007g per note. So, what’s the big deal?!

Here’s why it’s a big deal. The fact that only half a cow was used for all of the notes is largely irrelevant. The point is that using animal products, in such an unnecessary way, in something so every day as our smallest note, is a giant step backwards. This is why people have become so outraged at the decision to use it, and more importantly for there to be no mention until questioned.

Many people have commented they think this is a small victory and that instead of saving one cow there should be focuses on other movements. I completely agree. There should be this level of focus, outrage and virality (the real reason these petitions get their numbers boosted is the level of exposure it receives) for other causes. But does it have to be either or? Why can’t it be and? We are not limited to one cause at a time. We can fight many battles at once and that is the only way we will ever make a difference within our lifetime.

Also, this is by no means a ‘small victory’, the power of a minority has caused a huge stir and solutions are being looked at. This is a huge win and shows the power of protest. The Bank of England has had to take a step back and rethink its decision because of veganism (I also understand there was a similar outcry from vegetarians and some religious parties) if that doesn’t count as a big win and a boost to any activist, I don’t know what will.